Friday, June 16

Phoenix unites to take the "We're Cool" hydration message to the streets

During the summer in Phoenix, staying hydrated and cool is vital. The "We're Cool" campaign offers free bottles of water and indoor locations to cool off. All locations on the city's map that is being circulated to residents are both hydration stations and cooling refuge locations for anyone needing to get out of the heat. In addition to assisting in the outreach campaign, Mayor Greg Stanton will issue a call for water donations to help ensure "We're Cool" locations have water throughout the long summer months.

"We're Cool" outreach maps with the locations of hydration and cooling locations around Phoenix visit: http://bit.ly/2tmKZLT

With the Valley's first 110-degree day expected on Friday and temps in Phoenix expected to reach 120 degrees by Monday, requests for St. Mary's Food Bank to provide water for both its clients and agency partners is expected to skyrocket. And, with another 3-4 months of triple-digit temperatures still ahead, St. Mary's is appealing to the public for donations of bottled water to make sure the Food Bank will be having enough to last not only over the next week but through the long Arizona summer. All Valley Goodwill stores will be serving as donation drop-off points, and St. Mary's will then distribute water to those in need next week.

Two Phoenix bars have been nominated in the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards and Bitter & Twisted is one of them. They show us their award-nominated drinks. Winners will be announced Friday, June 16th at 1pm via Facebook Live.

The awardsThe 11th annual Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards show honors the best bars, mixologists, writers and experts in the industry, with 10 finalists from across the world in 24 categories. Finalists whittled down from more than 1,000 nominees were announced on Friday, June 9.

Finalists announcement: At 1 p.m. Friday, June 16, the top four finalists in each category will be announced via Facebook Live on the Tales of the Cocktail Facebook page. Finalists will attend the show on July 22 in New Orleans.

The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is hosting four Itty Bitty Beach Parties this summer atthree city pools. Phoenix firefighters will be providing CPR awareness tips and demonstrations. Party guests can also enjoy festive music, games, and dance contests. A water safety puppet show will also be incorporated into the event to teach kids how to stay safe around water.

The parties are geared towards children 6-years-old and under and their families.Thanks to the generous support of Cigna, these poolside beach parties offer FREE admission.

Former Dbacks Star Pitcher inspires others with his career life lessons

Former Major League Baseball star Todd Stottlemyre has written his first book titled "Relentless Success," a 9-step plan to achieving success. It showcases peaks and valleys from a successful MLB career spent with Toronto, St. Louis, Oakland, Arizona and Texas, as well as a business career while giving readers a rare view into his personal life.

Food Truck Friday: There's nothing better than Hawaiian shaved ice as we head into a June heat wave

For this Food Truck Friday, we're staying hydrated as we enter one of the hottest weekends so far, this year, with Kona Ice and their Hawaiian shaved ice. Franchise owner Mike Rendelman of Kona Ice North Phx & Scottsdale shows us his hottest sellers, explains Kona Ice's give-back programs, and why you'll soon see 1,000 of these trucks rolling down the street across the country.

In terms of most popular flavors, which we will of course taste-test, Mike says the favorites are:-Tiger's Blood (strawberry & Coconut)-Blue Raspberry -Pina Colada

They also feature their own specially made syrups, and a proprietary vitamin-enhanced syrup, which is pretty popular with the millennials. Mike also features a "Mystery Flavor" each day, which we can test, and offers a "Color Changing Cup" for $5.00 where you can get refills anywhere, from any truck, for a discount, just $3.00.

Fourth of July is right around the corner, and that means a lot of folks will be looking to make their travel plans now for the holiday weekend. Our friend, and Steve Harvey's favorite, "The Travel Mom," Emily Kaufman is here to help us decide where to go and what to experience.

For people who are looking to embrace American History, visit: www.virginia.org/historyLearn about: Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Triangle, Jamestown, York town.

There are nearly 200 cats and kittens waiting to be adopted at the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), and in celebration of their 60th Anniversary, AHS is reducing all cat adoption fees. On June 17-18, all adult cats can be adopted for just $0.60 and kitten adoption fees will be reduced to $60. When the weather warms up in the spring, hundreds of cats arrive at AHS’ doorstep. Many are too young to go up for adoption when they first arrive, and have been raised in AHS’ Bottle Baby ICU, Kitten Nursery, and in loving foster homes. Now, a few months have passed, and those cats are ready for adoption. There are so many to choose from; affectionate cats with full throttle purrs or spunky kittens with a limitless supply of energy. There’s bound to be the purr-fect cat for your family.

Visit: www.azhumane.org to see all of the adoptable cats or visit one of AHS’ three adoption locations.

1521 W. Dobbins Road

9226 N. 13th Avenue

2450 W. Happy Valley Road

Frieda Exhibit at the Heard Museum

Heard Museum visitors will have a rare opportunity to see masterpieces by legendary 20th Century Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera when the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibit opens April 11 in Phoenix. This will be the only North American stop on a limited world tour that began in October at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

The 33 works will be exhibited at the Heard Museum in the newly opened Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Grand Gallery. Shown through Aug. 20, the works are from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection. They will include Kahlo's Self Portrait with Monkeys and Diego on My Mind, and Rivera's Calla Lily Vendor and Sunflowers. The Gelmans were Mexican-based European emigres who were friends of Kahlo and Rivera.

"Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at the Heard will provide our visitors a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience firsthand some the most famous and iconic paintings ever created," said David M. Roche, Heard Museum director and CEO. "This exhibit further allows the museum to explore the intersection of American Indian art with broader mainstream artistic movements such as Surrealism and Modernism."

In addition to the paintings, more than 50 photographs taken by Edward Weston, Lola Alvarez Bravo and Guillermo Kahlo, Frida Kahlo's father, among others, offer a look into the artists' lives and tumultuous relationship.

This is a special ticketed exhibition of $7 in addition to general museum admission for non-members. Basic Membership members receive free general admission but not to the exhibition. Admission to the exhibition is free to members at the Experience Frida and Diego level and above.

For more information on the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibit, visit: http://heard.org/